The influence of a variable fire regime on woodland structure and composition

Burgess, Emma E.; Moss, Patrick; Haseler, Murray; Maron, Martine

doi:10.1071/wf14052

Cited by 15 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Understanding impacts of fire on the spatial and temporal distribution of critical resources is essential for predicting the processes and patterns of population recovery, and the likely sensitivity of species to fire size and frequency. However, an important extension to the research in this study will be to understand how the specific components of fire regimes influence the availability and spatial distribution of critical resources (Bassett et al , Burgess et al ). For instance, the time since the most recent fire can be an important determinant of vegetation cover (such as ground‐level shelter for the bush rat) and foliage availability, while hollow‐bearing tree recruitment can be sensitive to short inter‐fire intervals (Banks et al , Haslem et al ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Where do animals come from during post‐fire population recovery? Implications for ecological and genetic patterns in post‐fire landscapes

et al. 2017

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Identifying where animals come from during population recovery can help to understand the impacts of disturbance events and regimes on species distributions and genetic diversity. Alternative recovery processes for animal populations affected by fire include external recolonization, nucleated recovery from refuges, or in situ survival and population growth. We used simulations to develop hypotheses about ecological and genetic patterns corresponding to these alternative models. We tested these hypotheses in a study of the recovery of two small mammals, the Australian bush rat and the agile antechinus, after a large (> 50 000 ha), severe wildfire. The abundance of both species was severely reduced by fire and recovered to near or above pre‐fire levels within two generations, yet we rejected a hypothesis of recovery by external recolonization. While the agile antechinus showed genetic evidence for far greater dispersal capacity than the bush rat, neither species showed gradients in abundance or genetic diversity with distance from unburnt forest during population recovery. Population recovery was driven by local‐scale processes. However, the mechanisms differed between species, resulting from the spatial impacts of fire on habitat suitability. Agile antechinus populations recovered through population growth from in situ survivors. The bush rat followed a model of nucleated recovery, involving local recolonization from micro‐refuges in topographic drainage lines. Nucleated recovery by the bush rat was associated with changes in dispersal, and fine‐scale patterns of genetic admixture. We identified increased dispersal by females during recovery, contrasting with male‐biased dispersal in unburnt forest. Such flexibility in dispersal can potentially increase recovery rates compared to expectations based on dispersal behavior within undisturbed populations. Our study shows how the initial distribution of survivors, determined by fire effects on resource distribution, determines the subsequent scaling of population recovery patterns, and the sensitivity of population distribution and genetic diversity to changing disturbance regimes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Where do animals come from during post‐fire population recovery? Implications for ecological and genetic patterns in post‐fire landscapes

et al. 2017

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“…A change in habitat can negatively affect food supplies, refuges, oviposition and foraging sites, and modify interspecific competition and predation rates as well as niche availability which in turn results in assemblage simplification (Blanche et al ., ). Simplification can be result of short‐term post fire (Burgess et al ., ; Gibson & Hulbert, ), as well as result of heavy or over‐grazing (Swengel, ). Sasal et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Findings on floral responses to either fire or grazing in savannahs (Van Klink et al ., ; Hanke et al ., ; Rutherford & Powrie, ) show that fire, for instance, can induce simplification in habitat structure (Grant et al ., ; Burgess et al ., ; Souza et al ., ). Here, fire generally opens the habitat or may cause an increase in shrub diversity in the long run (Safford & Harrison, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Short‐term responses of darkling beetles (Coleoptera:Tenebrionidae) to the effects of fire and grazing in savannah rangeland

Reinhard

Geißler

Blaum

2018

Insect Conserv Diversity

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Fire and grazing shape biodiversity in savannah landscapes. In land use management, knowing the effects of fire and grazing on biodiversity are important in order to ensure environmental sustainability. Beetles specifically are indicators of the biodiversity response to fire and grazing. A grazing exclusion and burning experiment in a split‐plot design was used in order to investigate the interacting effects of fire and wildlife grazing on biomass, diversity, and species composition of darkling beetles (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) over time after fire. Darkling beetle species richness and diversity were responding in a three‐way‐interaction to fire, grazing, and time after fire, whereby biomass of darkling beetles remained unaffected and species compositional changes were attributed to seasonal changes of time only. Fire on ungrazed plots had a negative effect on species diversity and richness 2 weeks and 6 months post fire, whereas fire on grazed plots had no impact on species diversity and richness. Grazing only lowered species diversity and richness 6 months after fire treatments. Results suggest that grazing overrides the effects of fire and that the similar effects caused by fire and grazing are due to niche and assemblage simplification of the habitat.

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“…Vegetation communities will respond differently to the fire regime imposed on them (Burgess et al 2014; Kelly et al 2017), and this in turn will influence habitat structure and availability for mammal assemblages (Fox 1982; Griffiths & Brook 2014; Chia et al 2016). High fire frequency regimes in forested plant communities generally diminish understory and mid‐story species and have the potential to transform plant communities from a shrubby understory to a grassy understory with limited structural complexity (Catling et al 2001; Watson & Morris, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Short‐term response of threatened small macropods and their predators to prescribed burns in subtropical Australia

McHugh¹,

Goldingay²,

Parkyn³

et al. 2020

Eco Management Restoration

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Fire is an important ecological process that shapes vegetation structure and habitat for faunal assemblages globally. Prescribed burns are increasingly being used in conservation and management to restore fire regimes in fire-suppressed vegetation communities. Small threatened macropods require structurally complex habitat that allows them to evade detection by predators. Given that fire can alter vegetation structure, it can be viewed as a strong ecological force in shifting the dynamics between predator and prey species. Previous studies in temperate Australia have shown that prescribed burns in the presence of European Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) and feral Cat (Felis catus) can have negative impacts on small macropods and medium-sized mammals. Post-fire response of threatened small macropods and their predators has not been experimentally examined in subtropical Australia despite this region providing refugia for the Long-nosed Potoroo (Potorous tridactylus) and Red-legged Pademelon (Thylogale stigmatica). We conducted a before-after-control-impact fire experiment at two paired sites after low-moderate intensity burns typical of cool season prescribed burns. We used camera trapping to investigate changes in activity of threatened small macropods and their predators. We also recorded vegetation change. Despite large reductions in ground and shrub cover, activity of small macropods and the Dingo (Canis dingo) did not change in response to fires. Therefore, the threat of dingo predation appears to have remained unchanged following the fires. Although feral cats and foxes were present, they showed negligible activity across our sites. Our study suggests that small-scale patchy ecological burns may not lead to increased predation of small macropods in our landscape. We attribute this to sufficient post-fire refugia and very low densities of foxes.

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The influence of a variable fire regime on woodland structure and composition

Cited by 15 publications

References 57 publications

Where do animals come from during post‐fire population recovery? Implications for ecological and genetic patterns in post‐fire landscapes

Where do animals come from during post‐fire population recovery? Implications for ecological and genetic patterns in post‐fire landscapes

Short‐term responses of darkling beetles (Coleoptera:Tenebrionidae) to the effects of fire and grazing in savannah rangeland

Short‐term response of threatened small macropods and their predators to prescribed burns in subtropical Australia

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